


The Chess Game

by Sporksprocket



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mutants, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, M/M, Mutant Politics, Mutant Powers, Mutant Registration, Mutants
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 12:43:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21428422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sporksprocket/pseuds/Sporksprocket
Summary: Gansey is sitting in his World Studies class when John, a lean boy with sharp, angled features that gives him a perpetual appearance of aggression, raises his hand. Without waiting for the teacher, Mr. Stevens, to call on him, he begins speaking, “Uh, sir? You might want to look at the news,” He gestures to his phone, not hiding that he had been on it rather than paying attention. “I think there’s been attack.”
Relationships: Adam Parrish/Blue Sargent, Richard Gansey III/Blue Sargent, Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Breaking News Bitch

Gansey is sitting in his World Studies class when John, a lean boy with sharp, angled features that gives him a perpetual appearance of aggression, raises his hand. Without waiting for the teacher, Mr. Stevens, to call on him, he begins speaking, “Uh, sir? You might want to look at the news,” He gestures to his phone, not hiding that he had been on it rather than paying attention. “I think there’s been attack.”  
  


And if he hadn’t already been aware of the indellible mark Ronan had already left on his life, the fact that he can hear what he would say— ‘Way to be vague, asshole’— would be revealing. But he is aware, so he merely pulls out his own phone and looks at the news app to see if perhaps this way a ploy to try and waste time on a Friday. It wouldn’t be the first time.   
  


Plastered everywhere is articles citing an ongoing attack by so-called ‘Inhumans’ or ‘creatures’ or ‘aliens’ or whatever word that news journalist decides to use. Who the attackers are is very vague and inconsistent, the normal sensationalism and conspiracy theories. What is consistent are the other details, such as location: the Pentagon.   
  


What also is inconsistent is the damage, including the lack of death so far, and minimal injuries. So not that big of an attack, Gansey surmises.   
  


Mr. Stevens seems to also have gathered as much and commands everyone to put their phones away before continuing the class.   
  


Gansey wonders if it wasn’t the Pentagon would it still be that big of a story. Perhaps, he muses, that’s why they chose that location.  
  


* * *

Articles after articles flood the internet, most about the attackers and who or what they could possibly be. Then, a long official looking blog post alongside a video by the leader of the attack describing themselves as both mutants and a terrorist group all at once.  
  


This was followed by violent responses advocating war, reactionary think pieces, and revealing pieces from other so called mutants, but shouting peace rather than violence. Unfortunately, there is an abunace of the first and not so much of the latter two.  
  


The government quickly, suspciously quick, responds with a Mutant Registration Act to be passed through the legislation branch, leading some to suspect that they had already had it drawn up and waiting. Some articles were written regarding the government being complicit in hiding the existence of mutants.   
  


These were quickly silenced and forgotten about by more and more news and talk pieces about ‘mutants.’  
  


Gansey misses all of this, though, as he is busy researching Glendower, like usual. He goes back to school on Monday sans Ronan but at least with Noah to keep him company.   
  


Him and Ronan had a fight this morning about it actually. Gansey had been badgering Ronan about his poor attendance and how he needs to go to class or else he would get kicked out or at least detention. Besides, he missed the last two Mondays and therefore Tennis practice and he was going to get kicked off the team.   
  


Ronan, instead of getting angry or dissmissive like normal, had shook his head and retreated to his room. Gansey had yelled after him, but the slammed door ultimately made a decision for him.   
  


His Literature and Composition class has a substitute teacher, a white haired old man in a suit who can’t find the directions their regular teacher left behind for them. Therefore, he lets them do as they please as long as they stay sitting within the classroom. This quickly leads to many separate discussions about all of the happenings that Gansey had missed that weekend.   
  


“You see all that shit about those fuckin’ terrorists-”  
  


“Fucking mutants, they got all of these powers and they use ‘em to be terrorists?”  
  


“If I had powers I’d find a way to jack myself off without using my hands-”  
  


“All bullshit, y’know-”  
  


“Thank god the government was ready-”  
  


“Don’t know why we’re bothering with all of this legal shit, should just round them up and-”  
  


“So theres like, what, thirty of them? Who gives a shit?”  
  


Naturally, this leaves Gansey to once again pull out his phone and scour the news. It leaves him with the feeling of a stone at the bottom of his stomach, dragging him lower and lower, so much so that when the bell rings it takes him a second to stand up and leave.   
  


He knows what he heard that night, he always did and he’d stand by it. And, who knows, maybe its not related at all? He finds himself wishing all the same that he was not so candid about it.   
  


* * *

  
Ronan sees the news, reads all of the responses, and promptly locks himself in his room. He can hear his heart in his head and he feels the tell tale squeeze of fear deep in his gut. He huffs and clenches his fists and lays in bed, tangled in blankets. 

It doesn’t take long before he gets a call from Declan. He sighs and, knowing what this is about, picks up.   
  


Declan speaks quickly and doesn’t bother addressing him, correctly assuming that he has little time before Ronan hangs up.  
  


“Did you see—”  
  


“Yes.”  
  


“Be careful, Ronan. Don’t pull anything, don’t—”  
  


“I know, Declan, don’t worry I’ll make sure none of leads back to you and your—”  
  


“Thats not what I—”  
  


“I know, Declan.”  
  


He hangs up.  
  


* * *

  
Blue asks her mother what she is going to do after the news goes wild. Her mother smiles and says “Nothing.”

Blue nods and goes to school.  
  


* * *

Gansey’s cardboard town gets three more blocks that night. He doesn’t see Ronan for two more days.   
  


* * *

  
Adam plans to go to the computer lab in the library when he gets a chance so he can finally find out the whole picture regarding this ‘mutants’ thing he keeps overhearing about. 

He doesn’t find the time. 


	2. Life Goes On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything changes and nothing does. The Pig breaks down and Adam stops to help fix it. They eat at Nino’s and get Blue as a waitress. They continue looking for Glendower and ignore the greater issue plaguing the country and the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, I don’t have my books with me so if theres even more discrepancies than the mutant stuff just pretend thats on purpose.

_”We can’t concern ourselves with what was; we must act on what is”— Gyatso, Avatar: The Last Airbender_

The police show up to the double wide and when Ronan gets separated from Robert Parrish he turns to find Adam.

Adam, who’s laying, in what had previously been a large swathe of dirt with only some blades of grass sparsely peeking up, now completely surrounded by tall grass. The grass is bent over Adam. At first Ronan thinks it might be the wind pushing the grass, but its bent over Adam on each side. Ronan can barely see him through the thick, tall grass, a peek of his shirt here, shoes there, a glimmer of sunlight hitting his hair.   
  


And Ronan knows as he has to stop the cops from trying to arrest him, as Robert Parrish is handcuffed, as some other officers hesitantly peer at Adam and offer no help, that Adam is like him. Adam is a mutant.   
  


The paramedics show up and, thankfully, attempt to help more than the police did. However, as one steps into the tall grass to get to Adam, they shout. The grass has wrapped around their leg and is tightening more and more. The paramedic rips their leg back.

The paramedics seem confused as how to approach and Ronan’s throat dries. He can’t get over there, isn’t allowed to get to Adam. But his voice can.   
  


“It’s okay, Adam!” He shouts, hoping that this will work. He doesn’t know what he would do if everyone just sat there and watched Adam suffer. He’s not going to let that be a possibility. “It’s okay, Adam! Let them help! It’ll be alright!”

The grass around Adam seems to quiver at his first shout. As he persists they begin to droop and stop encasing Adam. The paramedics hesitantly reach for him again. When they find no resistance they jump into action, getting Adam on a stretcher and into an ambulance.   
  


* * *

  
Its quiet when Adam first gets into Gansey’s car outside of the hospital. The hospital had been awkward, after they had checked him and his hearing out the doctor spoke haltingly to him about whether his hearing would come back or not. Adam was skeptic to think that the doctor had been awkward because of the news he was delivering and believed it might be more on account of what little he remembered of the grass. The grass that sprouted up and surrounded him, kept him safe.

(Kept him safe at the wrong time, the worst time. Why had it not helped him earlier because he was on the stairs? Would he be able to hear in both ears right now if he had been standing on the dirt? (Yes, the logical side of him answered, because if he was standing on the ground he wouldn’t have hit his head off the railing, protective grass or otherwise.))

The nurses had stared a little too long, more doctors walked by the room and surreptitiously looked in than needed. He got out as soon as he could, rushed it along with assurances that he felt fine, whether it was true or not. He left only to find the bill had already been paid. Not only did Ronan and Gansey feel like they had to step in for him, but apparently he was so fucking pitiful the grass decided to join in on babying him too.

He argued with Gansey (Gansey who couldn’t get it, would never get it. Gansey who was _such _a nice friend despite not being able to understand the basic facets of Adam. He shouldn’t be surprised, Gansey was smart, but Adam is unknowable. He shouldn’t hope that Gansey would get it this time, what feels like the millionth time, just because they’re friends. What was their friendship based off of anyways? Convenience? If Adam didn’t work at the garage, if he didn’t know how to fix the Pig, would they even know each other? Or would Adam have missed out on all this, on Gansey, Blue, and Ronan, on this quest? Would his plan of working himself to college, staying on his father’s good side (as much as was possible) still be intact? Did he seal himself to this fate of one broken ear and no home when he stopped his bike by that bright orange car one dusty morning?)

They don’t mention the grass and Adam gets out of the car.   
  


* * *

The judge isn’t going to charge Robert Parrish.   
  


Adam’s clothes feel hot. Standing in this courtroom he feels like a monolith, a crumbling monolith in a futuristic sci-fi movie where the past symbols of pride have been neglected, targeted. Where what once was strong, unyielding, standing high, is defaced. Tasteful architecture turned from honorable to mocking, what had once been, what has ceased to be, what will never be again.   
  


The judge has heard that Adam might be a mutant and isn’t going to charge Robert Parrish.   
  


Then Gansey and Ronan come through the doors, managing the respectable look that Adam was aiming for. Ronan’s tie is even done and secured at his throat, so far from the ruffled look he dons at school. Adam almost doesn’t recognize him, if it weren’t for the sharp and determined look on his face. That, Adam recognizes.   
  


Gansey goes and talks to the judge like they’re old friends, because of course. Adam huffs but he’ll save that feeling for later, once he’s sure the judge isn’t going to somehow spin it and pin it on him.   
  


The judge rumbles a bit about mutants to Gansey seemingly to defend himself. A defense that proves flimsy in face of a determined Gansey. Gansey who smiles even as he says, “Now, there’s nothing wrong with being a mutant. I myself find it quite natural. Now, don’t you think this case is clear cut?”

Robert Parrish is let off with a warning because has hasn’t gotten in trouble with the law prior to this. Adam wonders if it would be different if there weren’t whispers about him being a mutant. Somehow, he thinks, it wouldn’t be. Not with his luck, not with the universe’s apparent dislike for Adam Parrish and things that would benefit him.   
  


He wonders what would’ve happened if Gansey didn’t show up and out himself as a mutant.   
  


* * *

Ronan is yelling about why Gansey didn’t mention being a mutant, why they had to hear it in a courtroom in front of a judge, in front of Robert Parrish, in front of so many people who are not going to be quiet about this.   
  


Adam isn’t yelling, but he is wondering the same thing. If Gansey could so nonchalantly announce it in a courtroom why didn’t he tell them? But he knows if he asks, they’ll ask him back. Turn it around and spear himself on his own question.   
  


Gansey chuckles but not in an amused way. He seems tired, like he does when Ronan dismisses him or when he argues with Adam. When Blue calls him out on something he didn’t know there was a problem with. “I didn’t tell you I’m a mutant because I’m not. I lied.”

”You’re such an idiot, Dick. Haven’t you seen the fucking news, you don’t know what could happen to you now that this is out there.” Ronan is quietly seething. There’s a wrinkle between his eyebrows.   
  


“I was a bit preoccupied with what was going to happen to Adam.” Adam wants to interrupt Gansey there, tell him he shouldn’t have done that, that he would’ve been fine without him. One way or another way, he could’ve figured it out himself. But Gansey, ever the perceptive shit-stirrer, says “You didn’t ask Adam why he didn’t tell you, tell us.”

Adam looks away. This is going to be a fight between Ronan and Gansey if it keeps going. He’s so tired of being in the crossfire, being fought over without anyone realizing he doesn’t want to be theirs.   
  


“I didn’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic was partly inspired by the scene in X-Men: Apocalypse where Scott/Cyclops gets his powers. For those that don’t know, he’s in history class where they are teaching about when mutants were first outed (the plot of a prior movie) and all of the politics surrounding and following that. I always found the day-to-day aspect of mutants in the movies really interesting, but (obviously) its not really focused on because that wouldn’t be the typical blockbuster action movie they are trying to make :/
> 
> Sorry for taking 11 months to update but college and then corona and then college again is not the most creative time


End file.
